


Worth the Wait

by thatwriterlady



Series: 30 Day Writing Challenge 2017 [25]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Attraction, Awkwardness, Embarrassing Little Brothers, F/M, Feelings, Fire, First Dates, First Kiss, Flirting, M/M, Neighbors, Rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2017-11-25
Packaged: 2019-02-08 13:12:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12865227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatwriterlady/pseuds/thatwriterlady
Summary: When a fire breaks out in his building, Cas and the rest of the tenants are in a race to get out as quickly as possible.  In the stairwell he meets his neighbors from the floor above, Dean and Sam Winchester.  The three of them risk their lives to save the people on the floor where the fire is, and Cas nearly loses his own life in the process.  After he recovers he runs into Dean again, and gets invited to dinner.  Of course Sam comes along and makes things incredibly awkward.  What else are little brothers for?





	Worth the Wait

**Author's Note:**

> The word for today was "Scorch". I wasn't sure what to do with this one, so I went this route. The intention was a quick story, but I don't seem capable of writing something quick. Quick for me is apparently 4k words, lol. Oh well. I hope you like this one. Enjoy!.

**Day 25~**

**Scorch~**

Cas woke with a start to the sound of the fire alarm going off.  It wasn’t the one inside his apartment though, it was the building one, out in the hall.  He threw the blankets back and scrambled to turn the bedside lamp on.  The alarm was still blaring and a quick check of the time told him it was just after three.  Rather than go for his slippers he grabbed a pair of socks and his gym shoes, and hurried to put those on, then tugged a tee shirt over his head.  Lastly, he grabbed his trench coat from his closet and shrugged it on.  It was the longest coat he had and if there was an actual fire happening, it was probably his best line of defense against getting badly burned, or so he hoped.

 

Grabbing his phone, keys, wallet, and slinging his laptop bag over his shoulder, he went to the door and touched it.  It was cool.  So the fire wasn’t on this floor, that was good.  He opened it and saw his neighbors all rushing by, heading for the elevators.

 

“No!  Take the stairs!  Never take an elevator during a fire!”  He yelled, but no one was heeding his warning.  Hitching his bag higher, he made his way towards the stairs and touched the door.  It was cool, so he turned the knob and opened it.  The stairwell was clear and he could hear footsteps coming down from the floor above.  Looking up he saw a head of shaggy brown hair taking the stairs two at a time followed by another man with light brown hair sticking up in every direction.  It was clear they’d both been woken up by the alarms too.  They both stopped on the landing when they spotted Cas.

 

“Fire on your floor?”  The man with the bedhead asked.

 

“No, and I take it that it’s not on yours either?”

 

He shook his head.  “No.  That means it’s below us.  We need to be careful.”

 

They took the stairs a bit slower as they were still six floors up.  The man with the bedhead offered his hand.  “I’m Dean, this is my brother Sam.”

 

“I’m Cas.  I live on seven.”

 

“We’re on eight.”  Dean said.  He grabbed Sam’s arm and pulled him back when they reached the 6th floor and he had reached for the door.  “Check and see if it’s hot first.”  Sam nodded and touched the door first.

 

“No, it’s cool.”

 

“Shit, fire is further down.”  Dean muttered.  “We have to keep going.”

 

They kept moving further down and when they got to the third floor they could see smoke curling under the door.  Cas coughed and covered his mouth against the acrid smell.  Dean moved them both behind him as he touched the door.

 

“It’s cool, fire is further down the hall.  Keep going down, I’m going to see if anyone needs help.”

 

“I’m coming with you.”  Sam argued.  Cas stepped forward as well.

 

“So am I, there are a lot of elderly and children on this floor.”

 

Dean wanted to argue.  His jaw clenched several times before he finally nodded and motioned for them to step away from the door as he opened it.  Smoke rolled into the stairwell, thick and gray, making all of their eyes sting.  Dean ducked low as he entered the hallway.  Cas left his laptop in the stairwell and stripped off his trench coat as he followed after him, using it to cover his mouth against the thick smoke.  Sam pulled up the rear.  Right away they spotted a woman lying face down on the floor.  Dean checked for a pulse and once he found it he dragged her towards the stairwell with help from Cas who rolled her onto his coat.  Sam took her the rest of the way, pulling her into the stairwell where he began doing CPR.

 

“Knock…doors!”  Dean coughed and motioned towards the doors.  Cas had pulled his tee shirt over his mouth and nodded as he started knocking on every door he passed. He lost sight of Dean who had moved further down the hall and his vision was starting to get dark around the edges.  When he reached a door near the end of the hall where the smoke was particularly thick, he went to knock on the door and pulled his hand away when it burned.  There were scorch marks on the hall carpet and around the frame, and he knew immediately that this was the source of the fire.  He tried crawling away but he was dizzy and losing consciousness. 

 

“Dean!”  He rasped, and was racked with coughs so violent he couldn’t catch his breath.  The smoke was black here, filling his lungs and nose, burning him from the inside out and he knew he was dying.  Just before he lost consciousness he felt someone grabbing his arms and dragging him.

 

“Cas, hang…on…”

 

The air slowly got clearer.  There was still smoke but not nearly as much, and then he was being laid out on cool tile.  He coughed hard and forced his eyes open.  Worried green eyes framed by black soot were inches from his face, watching him.

 

“You with me?”

 

“What…happened?”

 

“You found the fire.  Then you almost passed out.”  Dean explained.  Cas coughed again and Dean pulled him up into a sitting position and helped him lean over so he could expel the crap trying to stick to his lungs.  Black mucus came up and he grimaced at the sight and taste of it.  When he looked around he saw the stairwell was filled with people.

 

“You helped get all these people out.  Now we’re going to get the hell out of this building.”  Dean helped him to his feet and hooked Cas’ arm over his shoulder for balance.

 

“My laptop…”

 

“I have it.”  Sam said.  Cas nodded, coughing again before they started down the stairs. 

 

Once they reached the lobby firefighters were just arriving and a mask was quickly placed over Cas’ face.  Breathing became easier.  He was guided to an ambulance and Dean followed.  As he was laid out on a gurney, Dean was given oxygen and took the bench beside him.  Sam climbed up next to him and set his laptop down on his lap.

 

“You helped save most of the third floor.”  Dean told him.  Cas smiled under his oxygen mask.  He was just glad he’d been able to get people out. 

 

“Do you think…we’ll be able to come home tonight?”

 

“I don’t know.  I can see the fire from here.  It’s destroyed at least two apartments.  I don’t know if it has done structural damage though.”  Dean pointed to where the fire department was currently working to put the fire out.

 

Cas groaned.  “I need to move.”

 

Sam let out a startled laugh but nodded in agreement.  “I’m only staying with my brother until I’m done with my degree, but I think he needs to get the hell out of this building and get a house.  I know that’s what I’m doing.”

 

“I have work at eight.”  Dean grumbled.  “This is not going to be a good day.”

 

“I do too.”  Cas groaned and winced as he tried to flex his hand, remembering that he’d burned it on the door.  The paramedic working on him noticed it and began tending to it.

 

“What do you do, Cas?”  Dean asked, trying to distract him from the pain.

 

“I’m a store manager, at Best Buy.”  Cas winced as his hand was bandaged.

 

“Cool.  I’m a mechanic and Sam’s in school to be a lawyer.” 

 

Cas glanced up between the brothers.  “That’s admirable, Sam.  A mechanic?  I may need you to take a look at my car, the heater isn’t working.  Do you do that kind of work?”

 

“Sure do.”  Dean said before being hit with another bout of coughing.

 

The ambulance was closed up and they were on their way to the hospital.

 

“Shit, I left my phone in the apartment!”  Dean ended up coughing again.

 

“I lost mine when we were trying to drag that woman out of the hall.”  Sam said.

 

“I have mine.”  Cas patted his back pocket.  “We can call people.”

 

“I want to call our folks, let them know we’re ok.  You should call yours too.”  Dean told him.  Cas fished his phone out and passed it over.  Dean passed it to Sam who called their parents.  Their mother told them she wasn’t listening to their argument, she and their dad were going to meet them at the hospital.  Sam groaned when the call ended and handed the phone back. 

 

Cas called his parents but they didn’t answer, not that he was surprised.  They turned their cell phone off at night, so he called his brother instead and let him know what had happened.  His brother promised to go wake their parents up and tell them in person so they didn’t see it in person on the news, then he would be coming by the hospital later to pick him up.  By that point they had reached the hospital.

 

He didn’t see Dean or Sam for several hours after that.  After placing a call to his job to let them know he was in the hospital, he fell asleep in his bed in the ER while waiting to be seen.  The emergency room quickly became filled with all of the injured people from his building that came in and once it was deemed that he was out of danger and his hand was properly cleaned and bandaged, he was discharged.  His brother was there to take him home.  The fire was out and he was allowed to go back to get his things out, but then he went to stay with his brother until it was deemed safe to return for good.

 

It was several weeks before the building got the all clear and he was able to return for good.  Repairs were made to the third floor but Cas was busy looking for a new place.  He’d been saving for a while and buying a house sounded like a fantastic idea, so he began searching.  It was a few weeks before Christmas as he was getting his mail at his box that he spotted a familiar face a few boxes down collecting his own mail.

 

“Hello, Dean.”

 

Dean looked up, his eyes lighting up as he smiled wide at him.

 

“Hey, Cas, how are you feeling?”

 

“I’m good.  Had a cough for a week or two but I’m fine now.  How are you?”

 

“I’m great, actually.  You still thinking of moving out?”  Dean asked.

 

“Yes, I’ve been looking at houses.  I’ve been saving for years and I’ve been looking at houses since before I came back here.  I’m aiming for the spring to get out of here, that’s when my lease is up.”  Cas replied.

 

“I don’t blame you.  Sam, uh, he moved out.  Got a small little house he’s renting with his girlfriend.  He doesn’t feel safe here anymore.”  A small furrow formed between Dean’s eyebrows for a second before he was smiling again.  “I’m going to move too.  I have money saved and my uncle’s talking about selling me his house and shop.  It’s a pretty sweet deal, has a junk yard included.  He wants to retire somewhere warm.  I have to fix the house up though, and clean up the junkyard.  It’s way better than this place.”  Dean closed his mailbox and pocketed his keys.  “Say, uh, do um, you have plans tonight?”

 

Cas closed his own mailbox and shook his head.  He wondered if Dean was just being neighborly or if he was possibly interested.  Hopefully it was the latter.  Dean was incredibly attractive.

 

“I was just going to play online and eat some leftover Chinese.”

 

“How does homemade beef stew and corn bread sound instead?  And maybe some Call of Duty?  With me?”  Dean was actually blushing, it was adorable.  Cas smiled.

 

“I’d love to.  Let me just change and take a shower first, ok?  What unit are you in?  I can come up when I’m done.”

 

“I’m the corner unit, 802.” 

 

“Ok.  Give me a half hour?”  Cas waited for Dean to nod.  He liked the bright smile the man offered.

 

“Yeah, cool, I’ll see you then.”

 

Cas headed up to his apartment and stripped down quickly.  He showered and shaved before changing into a comfortable pair of jeans and a tee shirt and heading up to Dean’s apartment.  His stomach was filled with butterflies as he knocked and waited for the man to answer.  When the door opened he smiled as he noticed Dean seemed to have showered and changed his clothes too. 

 

“I made the stew from scratch, before I went to work. In the crock pot.  Do you have one?  I use mine all the time.”  Dean said as he stepped back to let him in.

 

“I do, but I don’t use it nearly enough.  After the fire downstairs I’m wary of using it.  That was an electrical fire.”  Cas admitted. 

 

“Yeah, it worries me too, if I’m being honest, but I have cameras, and I check them constantly when I use the crock pot.  It saves me having to whip up a meal when I get home after a long day at work.”

 

Dean steered him into the kitchen which smelled like heaven and began dishing the food out into two large bowls.  The corn bread he pulled out of the oven and cut thick slices of.  When he held up the butter, Cas nodded eagerly, so he cut a piece in half and slathered some in the center before setting each piece on a small plate.  Once they got all of the food on the table Dean pulled a pitcher of sweet tea out of the fridge and got some glasses out of the cabinet.  They sat down together, talking as they ate.

 

“How long have you lived here?”  Dean asked.

 

“Five years now.  It was cheap and I was trying to save up for a new car and a house.  I got lazy though.  This fire was a reminder that I need to actively look into getting out of here.  What about you?”

 

“I was living here for two years before Sam moved in, then he lived here for four years until he moved out.  I don’t have as much saved as probably you because I was paying his way through university.  But he’s in his last semester now.  He went his first two years to Stanford and was in the dorms there, then he transferred back when our mom got sick.  She had open heart surgery, so he decided to go to school closer to home.  Our dad couldn’t cover his tuition, not with mom’s medical bills, so I’ve been helping Sam out.  He has a job but I wanted him to focus on his schooling.  I rebuild antique cars on my uncle’s property and sell them.  The money I get from them is what I’ve been using to put Sam through school.  The money from my job is what I’ve been using to pay rent, cover bill, and save up.”  Dean explained.

 

“I really do need my heater looked at.  My car is freezing and my windshield won’t defrost.  Where is your shop so I can bring it in?”  Cas asked.

 

“I can look at it here, save you the extra fees.  You’re parked in the garage, right?  I’ll look at it whenever your next day off is.” 

 

“I’m off Sunday.”  Cas said.

 

“Me too.  What do you drive?”

 

“A Toyota Camry, 2010.”

 

“Oh, that should be an easy fix.  I have the tools, I can take a look and get it working for you.  You just pay for the parts.”  Dean told him.

 

“Thank you.  That’s fine, I’ll gladly pay for the parts if it means I’ll have a working heater again.”

 

They ate the rest of the meal and then Dean cleared the table.  When he finished they moved into the living room where he set up the TV.  Cas hadn’t played Call of Duty in a while but he liked the game and playing with someone else was always fun. 

 

“You should come up to my place and see what I have.  I have pretty much every game system available.  There are perks to working for a major electronics retailer.”  Cas smirked as he shot down an enemy soldier.

 

“That’s awesome, I’m definitely up for that.  You let me know when.” 

 

“I am working til closing tomorrow, but I get off at four Wednesday.  How about we do dinner and this at my place then?”  Cas asked.

 

“Sounds good to me.”  Dean agreed.  The sound of keys in the door drew their attention and Dean paused the game.  Sam walked in with a pretty blonde girl.  He paused when he saw them sitting on the couch and smiled.

 

“Oh, you finally worked up the nerve to ask Cas out?  Way to go!”

 

Dean turned ten shades of red while Cas’ eyes widened in surprise.  Cas turned to look at Dean.

 

“This was a date?”

 

“Oh…”  Sam bit his lower lip and looked at the girl with him who smacked his arm playfully.

 

“You know better than to jump to conclusions.  Did either of you even find out if he was _into_ guys first?”  She chastised.  Dean was still looking flustered, rubbing at the back of his neck and avoiding Cas’ gaze.

 

“Dean,”  Cas said softly, ignoring the banter behind them.

 

“I’m sorry, Cas, I-I didn’t know _how_ to ask, so I thought just being friends was cool.  I don’t have any here.”  Dean apologized.  Cas set his controller down and leaned closer, dropping his voice now that Sam was bickering with Jess, as he’d heard the girl’s name being called.

 

“Well, to clarify things, I _do_ like guys, I _do_ like you, and though I didn’t realize this was a date, I’m happy to consider it one, and happy to consider the invitation to my apartment on Wednesday as our second date.  Maybe if your brother and his, I’m assuming girlfriend?  Leave, we can kiss?”  He placed a hand on Dean’s knee and smiled at the way the man’s eyes lit up with excitement.  Dean swung an arm over the back of the couch to look at his brother and Jess.

 

“Hey!  Sammy!”

 

Sam and Jess both fell silent and looked at him.

 

“What are you even doing here?”  Dean asked.

 

“Oh, uh, well, we came by to see if you wanted to join us for dinner, but it looks like you already ate.”  Sam replied.

 

“Yeah, we ate, like an hour ago.  Did you need anything else?”  Dean quirked an eye impatiently.  Jess smirked and nudged Sam’s side.

 

“Take a hint, they’ve figured out they’re on a date and we’re not wanted here.  Let’s go.”

 

“I’ll…call you.”  Sam squinted for a second before opening the door and darting back out.  Jess rolled her eyes and gave a small wave before following after him and pulling the door closed behind her.  Dean let out a sigh and turned back to face Cas.

 

“You really could have just flirted and asked me out.  I’d have responded.”  Cas smiled at him as he moved closer.

 

“I’m kind of new to flirting with guys and I have a hard time gauging whether or not they are even interested.”  Dean confessed.

 

“Well, now you know, I’m interested.”

 

“I can still kiss you?”  Dean asked, arching an eyebrow.

 

“Definitely.”

 

Their first kiss was sweet and quickly became pretty heated.  It was great as far as first kisses went, and their second date they ended up not even playing video games.  After eating they ended up on the couch making out like teenagers, so for their third date they decided to actually leave the building and go out to dinner.  Cas never did invest in a house.  He stuck it out another two years in his apartment and ended up investing in the uncle’s house and junkyard with Dean.  It was definitely worth the wait.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked this one. Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcome.


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